The next morning.
Li Er, disguised in plain clothes with two guards and Eunuch Deng, quietly arrived at Fang Family Village.
"Mine's bigger than yours!"
"You're lying!"
"Yeah, mine's definitely bigger!"
"Hmph! Look at my braised pork! It's a whole big bowl, much tastier than chicken legs!"
At the village entrance, a few naked children were waving chicken legs, bragging about whose was bigger. Another little one, holding a bowl, proudly showed off to them.
*Hiss!*
Li Er gasped. Were the days in Fang Family Village this good?
Looking at the oily braised pork in the child's bowl and the plump chicken legs in his hand, eating such food so early in the morning? How extravagant! Li Er felt his mouth water.
With a heart full of doubt, he let Eunuch Deng lead him to the entrance of the Fang residence.
This was even more excessive!
In front of the Fang residence stood two tables laden with entire platters of chicken legs and braised pork!
A group of half-grown children, each with a bowl, stood by the tables, craning their necks in anticipation.
Hua Niang, smiling, was dishing out food with a ladle, occasionally asking if they preferred chicken legs or braised pork.
Li Er was even more astonished.
He had initially thought those children were merely from well-off families, but he never imagined that food was being given away freely here. Was Commander Fang this wealthy?
"Are you gentlemen here to see Commander Fang for a reason?"
Hua Niang, seeing Li Er and his entourage watching her serve the children without speaking, approached them to inquire.
"We are here to see Commander Fang Anzhi. Is he at home?"
Eunuch Deng stepped forward to reply.
"The young master is indeed home. Are you his friends?"
Hua Niang eyed Eunuch Deng with suspicion.
"Yes, yes. Could you please lead us to him? My surname is Deng, and I am from the palace."
"Oh! You're from the palace."
Hua Niang put down her ladle and examined Eunuch Deng with curiosity.
Eunuch Deng felt a chill as she scrutinized him, her gaze drifting from his lower body to his neck.
Finally, she remarked, "Oh, no Adam's apple. Alright, follow me."
Hua Niang put down her ladle and led Eunuch Deng into the Fang residence. Li Er and the guards followed.
Fang Er was practicing horse stance in the courtyard. Hearing footsteps, he glanced towards the courtyard entrance.
His casual glance was enough to startle him. Seeing Li Er following Hua Niang, he was so shocked that his already weary legs gave out, and he sat down on the ground.
"Your Majesty?"
"There's no need to be surprised. I have been idle recently and thought I would visit your Fang Family Village. Get up quickly."
Eunuch Deng hurried forward to help Fang Er up.
Fang Er stood up, brushed the dirt off his backside, and gestured to the tables and chairs in the courtyard, saying, "Your Majesty, please have a seat. I'll get something to help you cool off, it's so hot today."
"No need for that. You sit too. I have something to ask you."
Li Er took a seat and indicated the chair opposite him to Fang Er.
"Thank you, Your Majesty. What would you like to ask?"
"I received a secret report stating that you annihilated the Zheng family of Xingyang overnight."
Li Er looked at Fang Er with a smile.
"Your Majesty, you are not here to find fault with me, are you?"
Fang Er asked timidly.
"If I were here to find fault, would I come personally? I want to ask if the secret report is true that you used two never-before-seen weapons that can kill a person from a hundred paces away. Is that so?"
Li Er looked at Fang Er expectantly.
"Uh, just for that?" Fang Er asked.
"Yes, precisely for that. Jieli's forces are powerful, and Jingde has led the army out for days without any news. Can your two things be of use?"
"Your Majesty, please follow me."
Fang Er decided to take Li Er to the workshop so he could witness the power of firearms and cannons firsthand.
The group of five set off, with Fang Er leading on horseback, followed by Li Er, his guards, and Eunuch Deng.
They departed from Fang Family Village and headed east along the Longshou Canal.
Three large waterwheels on the Longshou Canal were tirelessly drawing water from the canal, channeling it through bamboo pipes to the irrigation ditches in the fields.
The farmers on the estate then diverted the water into the fields to irrigate the crops.
"Where did these three waterwheels come from?"
Li Er asked curiously.
"Reporting to Your Majesty, these were made by my subordinates. The crops in the fields would have withered without water. We've already irrigated them twice, and they are almost ready for harvest."
It was now the eighth month of the lunar calendar. Millet was planted in the fields. With two irrigations within a month, the nearly withered millet seedlings had gradually recovered, sprouted heads, and were now swaying in the wind, containing grains.
"What is the cost of these waterwheels?"
Li Er inquired.
"I haven't calculated it precisely, Your Majesty, but two taels of silver should be enough."
Fang Er hadn't really considered the cost. Some materials were left by the previous owner, Mr. Ma, while others were purchased by Zhuzi. He never asked about the price, so he could only give a rough estimate.
"And how much land can one waterwheel irrigate?"
Li Er continued to press.
Fang Er hesitated. He hadn't paid much attention to this either. Once the waterwheels were ready, the villagers had been using them.
Glancing around, he saw Old Man Ma weeding at the edge of the field and called him over.
"Old Ma, this is His Majesty the Emperor. How much land can one of our waterwheels irrigate?"
"Ah? Your Majesty? This humble subject pays his respects to Your Majesty!"
As Old Man Ma was about to kneel, Li Er signaled Eunuch Deng to help him up.
"Rise. Tell me, how much land can one waterwheel irrigate?"
"Reporting to Your Majesty, the estate has over thirteen hundred mu of land. These three waterwheels, operating day and night, have irrigated the fields twice in less than a month."
Old Man Ma kept his head down, not daring to look at Li Er, and honestly answered the question.
Li Er: "In that case, the harvest should be good this year, shouldn't it?"
Old Man Ma: "It can't be called good, Your Majesty. It can only ensure a harvest. This is all thanks to Young Master Fang. Otherwise, with the current weather, the millet would have already withered from drought."
Li Er nodded. The drought had begun, and discussions about it had not ceased in the imperial court, yet no solution had been found. This small estate near Chang'an had solved the problem itself, which made him undeniably happy.
He told Old Man Ma to continue with his work, and Li Er and Fang Er rode their horses toward the workshop.
From a distance, they saw a large construction site where artisans were working diligently under the scorching sun.
"Anzhi, what are you building here with such extensive construction?"
Li Er was very curious.
Standing under the blazing sun, it was difficult to bear, yet these artisans seemed unaffected.
"I guaranteed the Wan Nian County that the people of Yunmen Township would be safe amidst the disaster. However, simply distributing money and grain is not a sustainable solution. Therefore, I devised this method, allowing them to work and earn money and grain in exchange for their labor, to support their families."
"Additionally, I plan to use this place as a workshop for some small businesses in the future."
Fang Er replied truthfully.